Event of the Piano Plus Festival 2014
"Friendship stories..."
Piano Plus Festival invites you again this year to attend and participate in these music "experiences" it is presenting in Athens with artists from all over the world who will share their music and Works with our audience and music students.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
"Friendship stories..."
Lieder Concert with singers Daniel Camile Bentz (Switzerland), Chasper Mani (Switzerland) and pianist Zoi Tsokanou
Concert hall of the Attiko Conservatory, Eratosthenous St. 8, Pagrati, 8.00p.m.
Tickets 5 Euros.
Daniel Camile Bentz, Tenor
Daniel Bentz, born in Zurich, completed his music studies at the Zurich University of Arts with Prof. Jane Thorner. 2011 he graduated also the Swiss Opera Studio with distinction. He gained his First stage experience as Tony in West Side Story at the age of 17.
Chasper Mani, Bariton
Chasper-Curò Mani, Bariton, (Master of Pedagogy/ Concert-Diploma in singing; Master in conducting/ Soloists-Diploma at Swiss Operastudio at ZHDK and HKB) sings as soloist in concerts as Bachs “Weihnachtsoratorium”, “Johannespassion” or Händels “Messias”. He also dedicated himself to singing Lieder (“Winterreise”, “Dichterliebe”, “Songs of Travel”…). As opera singer he performed roles like Malatesta in Donizettis „Don Pasquale“ or the Father in Humperdincks „Hänsel und Gretel“ and many others. So he was singing among others at the Stadttheater Bern (Leo Dick’s „Wunsch Indianer zu werden“), at Theater Biel/Solothurn (J. Offenbachs „Belle Hélène“/ G. Verdis „Rigoletto“) at Fabriktheater in Zürich and worked for exampel with the famous stage director Peter Konvitschny.
Zoi Tsokanou, piano
Zoi Tsokanou has been invited and awarded in several international and national conducting competitions. In June 2013, she conducted the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra as one of the 12 finalists of the 4th Gustav Mahler International Competition. The same year, she celebrated her debut at the Greek National Opera by conducting the New Year Concert in Athens. Recent engagements include, among other, appereances with the Spanish Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra in Madrid and the Greek National Opera with a new production of the Fledermaus from J. Strauss.
She has been selected by Bernard Haitink twice to participate in his Master Class by the Lucerne Festival at Easter 2011-12. In addition she attended Master Classes with David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra, as well as with Stefan Asbury at the University of Arts Zurich.
During 2009-11 she has been appointed associate conductor with the Western Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in Marienbad, Czech Republic. She is music director of the Arosa Music Theater since 2011 where she also works with the Ricordi Edition on rediscovering operas of Johann Simon Mayr.
She has conducted many European Orchestras and Ensembles including Festival Strings Lucerne, Regensburg Philharmonic, Musik Kollegium Winterthur, Zagreb Radio Orchestra, Kollegium Musicum Basel, Silesian Symphony, Karlovy Vary Symphony and Zurich Academic Orchestra as well as all the leading Greek Symphony Orchestras.
In the field of Opera, she made her conducting debut in 2008 with Mozarts Don Giovanni at the Summer Academy Teplice, and she had further engagements with the Regensburg Theater, Contemporary Opera Zurich, Pocket Opera Company, Swiss Opera Studio etc. At the same time she performs as song accompanist and chamber musician in concert.
In December 2010 she completed her studies in orchestral conducting with Johannes Schlaefli at the University of Arts Zurich. She also holds a Master Degree in Piano Performance, class of Konstantin Scherbakov, and a Musicology Degree with distinction from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.